"The meeting aims to promote efforts to end the conflict in Gaza, to find a way out of the endless cycle of violence between Palestine and Israel... The implementation of the two-state solution is the only clear path," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters.
The meeting was attended by counterparts from Norway and Slovenia, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group on Gaza comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.
Participants attend a meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, September 13. Photo: Reuters
Mr Albares said the participants had "a clear willingness to move from words to actions and move towards a clear agenda for the effective implementation of the two-state solution", starting with Palestine's entry into the United Nations.
Mr Albares said Israel was not invited because it is not a member of the Contact Group, adding that "we would be very happy to see Israel present at any negotiating table discussing peace and the two-state solution".
On May 28, Spain, Norway and the Republic of Ireland officially recognized a unified Palestinian state governed by the Palestinian Authority comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A total of 146 out of 193 member states of the United Nations currently recognize the State of Palestine. Among them, the majority of Western countries have not recognized the State of Palestine, such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and most countries of the European Union.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly described the coexistence of two sovereign states as the only viable path to peace in the region.
Such a two-state solution was envisaged in the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the Oslo Accords of 1993–1995, but the peace process has stalled for many years.
The search for a peaceful solution has become more urgent than ever due to the 11-month war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as well as escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and has been occupied ever since, with the expansion of Jewish settlements complicating matters. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 in a move not internationally recognized.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the meeting should also discuss the disarmament of Hamas and normalization of relations between Israel and a number of other countries, especially Saudi Arabia.
Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cac-nuoc-chau-au-va-hoi-giao-hop-ban-ve-lich-trinh-thanh-lap-nha-nuoc-palestine-post312357.html
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